


Inuyasha: Girl Lost In Time (S: 2)

by Amateur_Aries



Series: Girl Lost In Time [3]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: F/M, Fantasy, Naraku - Freeform, Original Characters - Freeform, Romance, S: 2, Sesshomaru - Freeform, Sesshomaru/OC, inuyasha - Freeform, inuyasha/OC - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:22:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28507395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amateur_Aries/pseuds/Amateur_Aries
Summary: Kagome wasn't the only girl who fell through time. Keara, who used to be a girl without a soul, has finally gained pieces back by collecting the Sacred Jewel shards along with Inuyasha and the gang. Please read Season 1, Inuyasha: Girl Lost In Time, to be caught up before reading this. Thank you!
Relationships: Inuyasha/OC, Inuyasha/Original Character, Inuyasha/Original Female Character, Sesshomaru(Inuyasha)/OC, Sesshomaru/Original Character, Sesshomaru/Original Female Character, sesshomaru/oc - Relationship
Series: Girl Lost In Time [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1888216
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1: Miroku's Wind Tunnel

Chapter 1:

“Ready?” calls out Sango from the opposite of the building from me. I can just barely hear her over the sound of murmuring surrounding us from the crowd that has grown to watch us. We’ve come to this village by accident; but once we’ve among the village we started hearing rumors of a demon residing underneath the house that I am now kneeling in front of. Before me is a bamboo pot with an incent standing inside, with a nasty smelling smoke rising from the lit stick. I’ve been fanning the smoke into the crevice underneath the house for a few minutes now and nothing has happened except for the sound of scurrying coming from underneath the house. “Lure it this way!”

Which way? Leaning forward a little, I try to hear the sound of the movement in the crevice to pinpoint where the demon could be. There is a sound to the right, so I focus on waving the smoke in that direction to lead it to the back of the hut.

Unsure if I am doing the job properly, I glance around for reassurance but there isn’t any. Behind me Inuyasha huddles on the ground with his arm and red shirt covering his face from the smoke. He looks dizzy and nauseated, like at any moment he might barf and collapse. Shippo stands next to him, his wide eyes full of surprise as he watches the half demon in his weakness.

Around us, the crowd grows. Humans watch us with hope in their eyes that we’d get rid of their demon problem, but some are watching Inuyasha. Hovering feet away as they question each other. “Is he a demon that has felled by the smoke?” One man asks.

“Inuyasha just has a very sensitive nose.” Shippo answers the man.

Miroku comes out from the crowd and stands on my left side, crossing his arms as he eyes both the smoke and the crowd. He must have come from the other side of the hut since I haven’t seen him much until now.

Out from the crevice of the house, a loud roar can be heard. The sound of running and scraping follows, and then it silences. Suddenly, there is an earsplitting squeak before it quietens again.

“It’s okay now, Keara,” Sango calls from her side of the house. I place the fan down to my right and take the incense out from the bamboo pot and put it out in the dirt next to it. This should help Inuyasha now that the incense has been put out, but it might take a bit before he can recover fully.

There is a bunch of “ohs,” and “ahs,” coming from the crowd, but after a few minutes the crowd disperses as the excitement has ended. They instead round the house to the other side where Sango is, probably to inspect this dead or dying demon that Sango has eliminated.

Picking up the pot, I stand up and walk over to Inuyasha. Shifting the pot into my right arm, I gently rub Inuyasha’s back in hopes to soothe him. “Miroku, can you help Inuyasha to the inn?” I ask. But when there is no response, I look over my shoulder at the monk to notice him staring at a beautiful woman who’s holding a pink sheet over her head. She smiles at him, walking off into the distancing crowd.

Rolling my eyes, I repeat, “Miroku? Can you help Inuyasha?”

The monk finally breaks free from the woman’s hold, smiles and nods over to me.

*---*

The two story inn is on the border of the village. For freeing the village of the demon rat that has been haunting them, we’ve gained the freedom to rest, eat and sleep as for the next few days. We eagerly accepted this deal. Sleeping outside on the dirt has become hard on the body; sleeping inside, on a thin mattress is something we’d fight a demon for.

A half an hour later; Inuyasha is still on the tatami floor where Miroku has left him, huddled beside me as I carefully pat his back. He’s not as queasy looking as he was before, but it hasn’t fully gone away. He hasn’t moved a millimeter but quiet groans can be heard coming from the half demon. I frown at his distress.

The moment Inuyasha was placed down, Miroku disappeared. I didn’t ask questions, figuring he must be chasing around the girl from the crowd.

Sango comes in dressed in her casual clothes with the Hiraikotsu in her right hand against her back. “Where is Miroku?” She asks.

“He followed after some strange woman,” Shippo answers before I can, “She was really beautiful, he probably gave her the line about having his first-born child.” It’s miraculous that we can hear him, since there is a fried rice ball stuffed in his mouth.

“What? Have his child!” Sango exclaims in utter shock.

Blinding in confusion, I look up at her fully. Has she not received Miroku’s typical introduction line to every woman he runs into? “Yeah, he asks about every girl he sees that.”

“Oh?” Her head snaps back in surprise, but then there is a slight sadness behind her eyes.

*---*

By night time, Miroku has returned and we were served our meals of bowls of rice and meat soup. I sip at my soup as I watch Sango eye Miroku with an infuriating glare, earning a look of puzzlement from the monk. Miroku lifts a hand to his mouth and whispers something to Inuyasha who’s at his left side.

Inuyasha’s eyes narrow, “well, I dunno. Maybe it’s from all the womanizing. What do you expect, Miroku? She thinks you’re a philandering creep.” Inuyasha says out loud.

I smirk. Sango has been stiff and irritated ever since we mentioned Miroku’s perverseness, but it has escalated since he’s returned.

“I’ve been misunderstood. You may not believe what I’m going to tell you, but…”

“Spare us the lies!” Sango snaps, glaring at him now from the corner of her eyes as she eats a chopstick full of rice.

“You could at least give me a chance to explain myself!” Miroku exclaims.

“I said there is no need,” Sango hisses. She slams down her bowl of rice and chopsticks. She stands up swiftly and without another word she storms out of the room, down the hall to the bedrooms. I glimpse at Miroku and Inuyasha from the corner of my eyes. But either of them say anything.

After finishing up my soul and rice, I join Sango in the bedroom. Sango and I have a separate room from the boys, but Shippo still sleeps in the same room as us. Sango is already in bed, eyes closed with Kirara cuddled against her stomach. Learning about emotions, along with anger, I can’t imagine being able to fall asleep so easily. From what I’ve experience of it all; from the red outlining and the adrenaline pumping, I wouldn’t be able to rest. The heat, the rush, the boiling pit in my stomach. But Sango has managed.

*---*

The sun has just barely made it over the horizon when we notice Miroku is missing. We gather in the main hall of the inn and walk outside to the porch together. The village is already bustling with people at work. Some people fish in the large stream that snakes through the village, while others carry baskets of food, such as rice, wheat, fruits and vegetables.

An old man walks by with a basket in hand, he looks up at us with a smile that falters when he sees Inuyasha and Shippo.

Inuyasha places both hands on his hips and eyes the old man, “Hey, have you seen a monk leave this inn?”

The old man pauses all movement, his eyes wander upwards to the sky as he thinks to himself. He finally nods after a few seconds, “Yes, yes, he left before dawn.” He says with a crooked voice.

So, he isn’t too far away. This absence is strange for Miroku. He has never shown any signs of up and running away since we all decided to join together. So why now?

“He went out before dawn? You sure?” Inuyasha probes, leaning forward to make sure the old man can hear him.

“Yes, the monk said he was going on a long journey and he asked me to wish you well.”

Instinctively I reach for the sacred jewel that dangles from my neck and sigh in relief when I feel the half sphere against my flesh. At least he didn’t try to run off with the jewel like he did the first time we met.

Inuyasha stands up straight and glowers at the sky, “Stupid Miroku, running off and doing things on his own!”

When he didn’t return by the next day, we are all at a loss on what to do. I look over the stream that crosses the center of the village, my forearms resting on the small wooden gate of the porch. I’m just outside of the bedroom where Sango sits in the center of the room with Kirara and Shippo not to far behind her.

“I wonder why Miroku took off on us yesterday?” Sango questions. She’s been asking this question since yesterday morning and I haven’t had any idea of what to say to her. We are all curious and unsure.

“Maybe it’s because you shot him such dirty looks!” Shippo bluntly says.

The sliding door behind Shippo opens, and in comes Inuyasha. “Don’t try to tell me that we hurt his feelings. He’s not exactly sensitive.” He says, having obviously heard what Shippo had said.

A tiny fleck of a dot hops on Inuyasha’s right shoulder, I have to squint my eyes just to see the outline of Myoga the Flea. “Well, master Inuyasha…” The nasally voice can just barely be heard.

“Myoga, you’re back?” Inuyasha raises a thick black brow.

“Yes, I returned late last night. And when I came in, I noticed the monk was acting strangely.” Myoga waves all four of his hands in the air as he talks.

“What’s that?”

“He kept staring at his right hand, the one with the wind tunnel, and he seemed very deep in thought. He didn’t say what was bothering him.” Myoga says.

Turning on my heels, I lean against the fence with my butt and cross my arms. “We should go find him,” I suggest.

“So how do you expect us to go and find him? Just leave him! Finding the sacred jewel shards is more important now.” Inuyasha turns his head towards me but doesn’t look at me when he speaks. It’s like he’s looking pass me.

Sighing, I push myself into a standing position and shake my head at his passiveness. Inuyasha could probably smell his way to Miroku; but I can’t force him to do it. My eyes linger down Inuyasha’s face to the black beaded and fang necklace that encircles his neck. Only Kagome can control Inuyasha. A frown creases my cheeks as I remember the day she said his submissive word, truly connecting them in a way I can’t with Inuyasha.

A part of me, somewhere deep inside the pit of my chest, hurts. There is a longing that I can’t describe that I worry about. All these emotions are so new to me that I can’t pinpoint the source of why they are happening to begin with. Suddenly, I don’t feel so hot. I feel heavy and weak, and another sigh leaves my lips.

“You okay, Keara?” Inuyasha asks. This time he’s looking at me; and his eyes look as if they are worried.

Not wanting to cause any more problems with Miroku being amiss, I pull a smile on my lips and nod, “Yeah.”

*---*

We’ve been walking along the same dirt path for what seems like hours. The sun shines directly down at us through the leafy canopies of the trees. Noon. None of us spoke about Miroku since this morning. Sango stopped asking her questions and Inuyasha stopped grumbling about his disappearance. But I still feel out of place. Looking up at the canopy of the trees, the warmth of the sun heats up my cheeks and warms my insides. Regardless of how I feel, it is still so peaceful in this time period that I often forget that I don’t belong here.

I never belonged in the present either. Was never accepted by a family for more than a few months to a year. Never accepted by my school colleagues. Never accepted of myself because I couldn’t feel. Only when I came here, during the past, have I felt even remotely at home. Gaining friends and pieces of my soul back.

There is a soft buzzing that pulls me out from my thoughts, and its coming from up above in the tree tops. Everyone else notices the sound as well, alerting Inuyasha and Sango into a battling position just in case it’s an enemy. The sound gets louder and familiar.

“It sounds like…” I start; the sound brings back memories of Naraku and his evil wasp insects that are gigantic in size.

The Saimyosho.

Inuyasha’s right hand rests on the handle of his Tetsusaiga. He leans down a little, his left foot stepping back. He’s ready for an attack. I look over my shoulder at Midoriko’s sword and wonder if I should pull it out of its sheathe. But before I can do anything, I hear the subtle sound of Tetsusaiga slicing through what sounds like wood. When I look back, I notice Inuyasha has cut a tree in half, and while it collapses to the ground out pops a Saimyosho from its tree top.

Sango thrusts her heavy boomerang at the insect that now attempts to escape, and it collides with the wasp’s wings, cutting them midair as it comes tumbling back down to earth. Right before it hits the ground, a new pair of wings sprout from its back and it continues to flee the area by flying up into the sky.

When Sango’s boomerang returns to her, she readies to throw it again.

“Wait!” Inuyasha calls out, without needing to look at the demon slayer, “If he’s using them to spy on us, something must be happening with Miroku. Let’s follow it!”

We trail the poisonous insect for what seems like miles; starting at noon and now it’s dark with no sun over the horizon. We keep behind trees to be out of sight as we linger behind.

Off in the sky is a horde of black clouds hovering towards the wasp; the sound of buzzing gets louder and louder, and the closer the cloud gets, the more I realize it’s not a cloud at all, but a swarm pf Saimyosho. Out from the middle of it flies Hachi, in his giant orange blob form. He bursts from the crowd of insects with his large wide eyes filling up with tears as he screams.

“Help me!”

There is not a second that passes before Hachi slams into the ground of the cliff that we’re not too far from.

Before he can be swarmed again, we rush out from out hiding spots and for Hachi. Inuyasha is first to arrive, shouting “Iron reaver soul stealer!” With his claws sharpened and out, he slashes through the horde of wasps like butter; eliminating a good amount of insects. The rest flee the scene, retreating towards the sky where the bright full moon shines down upon us.

Hachi climbs up the cliff and looks at us with teary eyes, “We have to go! We have to help Miroku!” He cries. Without saying another word, he pops into his massive form that hovers inches from the ground, “Get on!”

Looking at one another, we nod in silent agreement. We start to make our ascent up his body. Sango and I struggle, having nothing to grip onto while we try to make our climb up his orange form. Coming up from behind me, Inuyasha grabs my waist and lifts me up onto Hachi’s back, sending hot shivers down my spine.

He does the same for Sango before leaping in front of us onto Hachi’s head.

We’re off the moment Inuyasha lands. My hands rest on Hachi’s rounded back with nothing to grip to keep on. Taking a deep breath, I glance down at the ground that is far from us. My heart speeds up in my chest, and I straighten myself back out. At least on Inuyasha’s back I can grab onto his shoulders or hair for support, but not even clenching my thighs tightly makes me comfortable with not falling off.

“Miroku is in danger! I knew it!” Inuyasha says.

“Yes, and he doesn’t have the use of his wind tunnel! His hand was injured in battle. The sides of it got nicked when he tried to suck in a giant mantis. He went to the high monk, Mushin, to get it fixed. Mushin said if he used his wind tunnel before it healed, it would spread and kill him. There’s Mushin’s temple!”

I dare to look down once again. Below are brightly lit orbs that shimmer not far ahead of us, surrounding a decent sized temple that stands on a hilly surface. The closer we come the more the orbs take on the shapes of demons; many, many demons. Hachi shakes beneath me in fear, causing me to grip my thighs against his body even more so. Inuyasha slowly takes a stand, balancing perfectly on Hachi’s head, even as the raccoon dog starts to dive down slightly towards the coming crowd of demons.

“Go Through them, Hachi!” Inuyasha demands.

And as Hachi does as he is told, the crowd of demons come rushing at us. Inches from hitting us, Inuyasha unsheathes his sword and cuts through the demons with ease. “Get outta the way! I ain’t gonna waste my time!” Inuyasha shouts. He slashes back and forth at the incoming demon, forcing me to duck as demon parts come ricocheting from the Tetsusaiga. As the crowd comes to a near end, they disperse off from the sides and turn back towards the temple. They rush down for their next victim, whom from where I can see, is Miroku.

The monk sits with his legs crossed on the ground wearing a white kimono. He looks defenseless and unaware of the demons that are coming. Inuyasha leaps from Hachi’s head and slices up the demons that come feet away from attacking Miroku. He lands on a hill not far from Miroku. Shippo does the same, leaping from Hachi’s back without fear and landing on Inuyasha’s head.

Hachi lowers close to the ground, popping back into his regular form, forcing Sango and I to land on our feet a meter away from Miroku. The sound of shuffling can be heard next to me, and my heart skips a beat as I lift my palm to blast any enemy that comes my way but pause when I see it is Sango. She pushes through a bush and disappears behind the foliage for what I am assuming is to get dressed into her demon slaying outfit.

Shippo hops off Inuyasha’s head and into Miroku’s arms, balling his eyes out.

“Why did you leave us without saying anything?” He cries.

The sound of rustling comes from the bushes Sango went off behind and when I look back, she’s already dressed in her demon slaying garb, and on the back of Kirara whose taken on her large form. It was the quickest dress I have ever experienced, but then again, her demon slaying garbs are underneath her casual wear. All she has to do is slip out of her skirt and shirt.

“Have you been injured?” Sango calls out.

“I will punish anyone who dares to disturb my temple.” The voice comes from an elderly man who approaches us from the temple behind me. He’s thick in the belly, with a balding head and reddish nose. Large praying beads are wrapped around his left arm, and there is some kind of pot dangling on the right side of his back.

This must be Mushin, the monk Hachi mentioned. 

From the corner of my eyes I see Inuyasha turn towards Mushin with Tetsusaiga resting on his right shoulder still in its transformed shape.

“Very interesting! Fight me, if you can!” Inuyasha swings Tetsusaiga to his right side, the sword shimmers in the moonlight.

“Keara, can you help me?” Miroku crooks. He sits up slowly, his body weak and in pain as it shivers with every movement. Without needing to say more, I come to his side, grab his right arm and wrap it around my neck. My left arm snakes around his waist and I put most of his weight onto my side. A groan escapes my lips when I realize how heavy he is but it doesn’t stop me from walking up the short hill to watch Inuyasha and Mushin.

“Inuyasha, P-please, I beg you, don’t kill him!” Miroku barely says above a whisper, but I know the half demon can hear him.

“That’s a very good boy, Miroku. I raised you well, didn’t I?” Mushin slurs. The closer I come, the more I realize how drunk the elderly monk looks. But there is something out of place about it. Though his nose is red, and his eyes are hazy, half closed, and barely looking straight at us – something is wrong.

“Who really cares if you raised him! It’s over, you old drunk!” Inuyasha shouts. He leans forward, with both hands now on Tetsusaiga’s hilt.

The old monk grabs a hold of the praying beads with his left hand, and slings it at Inuyasha. The purple beads swing around Tetsusaiha’s blade with blue little lightning bolts shocking off in different directions from the sword and beads. Before our eyes, Tetsusaiga is forced back into its non-transformed self; still wrapped in the beads that weigh it down.

“The Tetsusaiga’s been transformed back!” Miroku says as loud as he can, which even at my side, isn’t very loud.

But the beads start to quiver and move, hovering off the sword and then circling Inuyasha before he can make his move. They glow bright blue before enclosing fully around Inuyasha’s body, forcing him to drop Tetsusaiga on the ground.

Above us comes a newly formed horde of demons, the sound of growling and cackling fills the air as they fly down for Inuyasha.

Inuyasha struggles underneath the praying beads, but is able to release an arm just in time for him to Iron Reaver Soul Stealer; the demons split into pieces and collide with the ground.

“My, my, aren’t we lively.” Mushin raises two fingers up in the air, and just as he does, the lightning from the beads explode all over Inuyasha’s body. The half demon yells in pain.

“What’s going on!” Inuyasha shouts.

“I have bound you with my sutra magic, so I’m surprised you can still move. But you won’t last long, I promise you.” As Mushin speaks, a long gray smoke comes out from his mouth taking the shape of a hand at the very end as it elongates farther and farther, wrapping around the old monk.

My eyes narrow to inspect it but before I can get a good look at it, the smoke disperses.

“Demon worms!” Myoga calls out. My eyes follow the sound of his voice to my left shoulder where the small flea demon stands with narrowed eyes. “Yes, the monk has been possessed by a demon worm charmer.”

A demon worm charmer? I’ve never heard of such a thing.

“Can’t he be saved?” Miroku asks, shifting to look up at Myoga. When he does, I have to grip harder around his waist since his weight moves along with him.

“There must be a charmer close by who’s manipulating him. We need to steal his worm bottle and place it towards the monk. Then the demon worm will leave the monk’s body.” Myoga adds.

“So, we need to find this charmer,” I gently rest Miroku down on the ground where he sits on his knees.

“Be careful Keara.” Miroku mutters.

Climbing the rest of the way up the hill, I make my way to the temple. Myoga holds onto my white top with all his might as I start to pick up speed. Before I can start to run, Kirara is at my right side with Sango on her back. Sango climbs off Kirara and approaches me, forcing me to stop altogether.

“What’s going on? There seems to be no end to the demons.” I must have not noticed, but Sango must have been out killing the hordes of demons to lighten our load.

Shippo cries out, “Keara, look up!”

I follow his tiny hand that points up on the roof of the temple where an ugly gray creature sits. He’s wearing a blue long sleeved top and brown baggy pants, and is holding a thin spouted pot in his hands. His large orange amphibian looking eyes watches us from above. Maybe I can hit him with a blast? I lift my right hand towards the ugly creature, focusing purely on the energy surfacing to my arm. A purple glow surrounds me, but encircles my right hand. Releasing the energy gathered up in my palm, the purple blast just barely misses the creature by centimeters, as he shifts to his left side to avoid it.

“Shit.” I curse.

“Don’t worry, I got this!” Sango bursts towards the temple, Kirara following close behind.

“Damn it! I’m starting to feel weak!” Inuyasha says.

He’s not too far up ahead of me. I begin to run for him, but something explodes above me, sending a wave of wind pushing me down to my knees. When I look up I see the explosion is that of a newly, larger horde of demons that are heading this way.

“Soon you won’t have any power left to fight with at all, so you’d better decide your fate. Do you want to be devoured alive or shall I be more benevolent and chop off your head first?” Mushin asks.

“Don’t get your hopes up, you stinkin’ monk!” Inuyasha leaps, eliminating the space between the monk and himself. He grabs the monk by the throat, surprising the monk whose eyes widen in shock. “Now die!” He lifts his right hand up, cracks his fingers and readies to slice the monk into pieces.

“Wait! Think about it. I’m the only one who can repair Miroku’s wind tunnel! If his hand is left as it is, all of you will be sucked inside of it by this time tomorrow.” Mushin says.

Inuyasha growls, releasing the monk and leaping back, but it is not a safe distance. The beads electrify once again, sending Inuyasha down to his knees.

“Either way, everyone in this temple will die soon!” Mushin threatens.

And he’s right, looking up I can see the demons are far closer than before. I tug out Midoriko’s sword from the sheath on my back and swing it down to my right beside me. Behind me I can hear Miroku shift in the grass with a loud groan. I look over my shoulder to see Miroku tugging on the praying beads around his right hand.

“Master! The poison wore off! You can move! Eh! The wind tunnel?” Hachi comes over to Miroku side, his eyes full of fright.

“Hachi, prepare yourself.”

“Miroku no…” Bu before the rest of my words can come out of my mouth. He releases his hand, the flap of cloth revealing the wind tunnel underneath. The demons are sucked towards him.

Miroku stands up to better control the direction of his wind tunnel but he shakes under its power. “Hachi, brace me!” He calls out. I can just barely hear him over the wind of the tunnel as it starts to suck in the horde of demons. Hachi does as he is commanded. He grips Miroku’s waist and braces the both of them to the ground, slowing the sway of Miroku’s shaking.

“He’ll suck in everything around him, including the sacred jewel!” Mushin expresses by widening his eyes as he watches Miroku.

When I glance to Inuyasha, I notice he’s shaking as well. His muscles on his neck and face tense up and not another second later, the beads around Inuyasha burst from his strength and blast off in random directions. He plunges forward, pulling his right fist back before throwing it across Mushin’s face. “Give it a rest!”

Mushin is kcocked unconscious from this attack, and he falls back onto the grass below.

Behind me I can hear Miroku’s wind tunnel quiet, and a groan coming from Miroku, I look back just in time to see Inuyasha leap to his aid before he’d fall off the hill he was standing on top of.

“Damn it! If you try to use that wind tunnel again, I’ll tear your stupid arm off!” Inuyasha threatens, as he pulls Miroku up the hill with a single arm until the monk is sitting next to Hachi at the top. The demons above us in the sky start to reform another horde, quickening their speed as they rush down for us.

Inuyasha transforms Tetsusaiga back into its stronger form and pulls the sword back next to his right side. “I don’t care if you die or not. But you’re not going to do it while I’m around, you got that! I won’t be accused of abandoning you. I don’t want no guilt trip!” He swings the Tetsusaiga forward and toward the demons up ahead of him, releasing his powerful wind scar attack, annihilating majority, if not all of the horde of demons that were coming for us.

“He blew up the demons!” I hear Shippo cry out.

“They were destroyed!” Hachi says behind me.

My eyes burn a bit from the sight of the brilliant shade the wind scar releases when it’s in use. Pulling my head to the side to block out the light just a little. Bits and pieces of demon rain down on us from all over. Side stepping back and forth, I try to avoid the mess that comes down, droplets of blood kisses my cheeks. I wipe the blood away with the sleeve of my white shirt, staining the fabric.

From the corner of my eyes I spot the demon worm charmer leap off from the roof of the temple and up into the sky. His form shades to black when he faces the moon.

“Oh no you don’t!” Sango cries out as she thrusts her hiraikotsu at the charmer. The boomerang cuts right through the demon like butter, halving him apart. Something falls from his grip and heads for the ground. I can’t tell what it is, but Shippo races by me to catch it. The item lands perfectly in the little demon’s arms and I am able to see it’s the jug that we need to cure Mushin.

“Come on, Shippo, take it to Mushin!” I call out. We reach the unconscious old monk, and the little demon lifts the jug up to the old monk’s mouth. A smoke rises from his mouth, dances and twists in the air, before shooting into the jug.

“Look at that,” I deeply sigh, “Looks like he will be fine now.”

*---*

A yawn escapes my lips, and I have to shade my eyes with my left arm from the morning sun. We’ve been waiting since the end of the fight for Miroku to be healed, sitting out on the porch as the two monks are inside going through whatever it is they need to do to heal Miroku. To my left, Sango sits with Shippo and Kirara at both her sides; she looks agitated and impatient. To my right, Inuyasha rests with his arms and legs crossed and his eyes closed. I know he’s not sleeping, but he looks peaceful non the less.

“He’s taking so long,” Shippo mumbles. He glances at the door of the temple; at which we sit near.

All I know about the treatment, is that Mushin has to stitch the wound somehow, but I can’t imagine how without exposing the wind tunnel. Frowning, I try not to think about it, and rest my head on my hands whose elbows rest on my crossed legs. Just as I am getting comfortable, the sound of the main door slides open, and Mushin’s voice comes out from the other side.

“Fool. He should be more careful.”

“How’s Miroku?” asks Sango, the agitation on her face disappears in seconds.

“He’s sleeping,” Mushin nods, his red nose brilliant as he holds a jug of alcohol in his right hand. His eyes look half dazed, and I wonder how safe it was to have him operating on Miroku. “You, there, Inuyasha. Come with me.”

While Mushin guides Inuyasha to an empty room, Sango and I get up and head for the room Miroku is in. When we open the door we see him lying on a thin white mattress on the floor with a white blanket on top of him. Hachi is already in the room, sitting on his left side near his feet.

“He sure puts up a strong front. How does he manage to stay so lighthearted?” Sango asks. She comes to his left side and sits near his head. Slowly, I sit on my knees on his right side and let out a little sigh. I don’t know how to answer her because being new to emotions myself, I am not sure why people express or do certain things.

Miroku opens his eyes, alerting us all.

“You’re awake. Mushin stitched up the wind tunnel for you.” Sango leans forward as she speaks.

Miroku’s eyes widen in shock, lifting his right hand and looking over its covered palm.

“What’s wrong with your hand?” Shippo asks, approaching my left side as he walks up to Miroku. But that’s when I notice Sango’s face; her eyes wide and a blush covering the entirety of her visage. Miroku’s left hand has snuck around Sango’s back, and I can only assume he’s caressing her ass. The demon slayer growls, and slams her right hand into his head.

Miroku groans in pain but a wide smile rests on his face. At least we know he hasn’t changed.


	2. Chapter 2: Kohaku

Chapter 2

“Well Shippo?” Sango asks.

We stand next to a small pond, darkened by the thick forest surrounding us with no moon in sight to shed some light on us. Nearby, beyond some bushes and foliage is Inuyasha and Miroku, sitting by a fire conversing. Shippo sits next to a bush just next to the boys and listens to their conversation to see if they are trying to sneak a peek.

The little fox demon turns his head to us, “They’re still in deep conversation.”

Without another word said, I start to undo the ties of my Shinto garb. The light white shirt and red pants fall easily with just a single pull of a tie revealing my yellow and green bruises that scatter all over my body from a couple of weeks of fighting. Much has healed, scratches and cuts have turned to thin, almost invisible scars.

“I know the monk would try to peek, but would Inuyasha?” Sango asks while untying her multiple ties that litter her demon slayer garb underneath as she tugs off her casual wear of a pink top and green skirt.

“No, I don’t think he’s interested in such things.” Stepping over the edge of the water, I dip a toe in to feel the temperature. It’s chilly but not nearly as bad as I was expecting it to be. Placing my foot in entirely I start to make my way down into the water until the very top of my breasts are covered.

Sango grabs a towel by the side of Shippo and walks into the water until onto only half her calves are covered. With her back to me, the wind blows her hair away from her back to reveal a deep, large scar in the center of her flesh.

Sango catches me staring, “It didn’t heal well.” She says. She slowly sits down in the water with the towel still covering her chest and front of her body. “I got this scar from my younger brother. If only I had realized some things earlier, I could have prevented his death. Kohaku was tenderhearted. He was always a very gentle boy. Perhaps he wasn’t suited for the life of a demon slayer.”

“That must be painful to remember,” I frown.

“It’s alright.” Sango tries to pull a smile but its weak and fragile. “Before he died, Kohako reverted back to his old self. I still mourn for him, but that thought helps ease the pain of his loss. We were both strong demon slayers. I’m proud of that. We all have our reasons for being here, don’t we? Why are you gathering the sacred shikon jewel shards?”

Reasons for being here? I’m finding myself asking that more often these days. My eyes flicker down to the surface of the water where I watch my reflection deeply frown. “I was apparently born without a soul, and what soul I have resides in the jewel. When it broke, it released a piece of my soul at which it returned to me. Now every time I find a few shards, another piece of me is returned. I think,” I sigh, remembering the feeling I felt in the cave with Midoriko. “I think I am the reincarnation of that priestess; the priestess Midoriko.”

Sango gets up with a shocked expression on her face, and wraps herself with the towel fully. She sits at the edge of the bank, her feet and legs still in the water.

“It could make sense. Midoriko’s soul is trapped in the jewel, and you were born without a soul. When the jewel is broken, you receive a piece of your soul. You may not get the last piece back until Midoriko is free of her curse.” Sango adds up. “That’s amazing.”

My hands instinctively reach up to toy around with the jewel that hangs from my neck. “Yeah, but it’s been difficult ever since Naraku’s appearance.”

“In order to break the curse of the Shikon jewel, we must destroy Naraku first.” Sango nods. She suddenly stiffens, her right hand reflectively reaches for a rock nearest to her. She glances towards the bushes, and then chucks the rock in the direction of the foliage. It collides with something on the other side, earning a pained squeak. Out from the bushes falls a small light brown monkey with a knot on its head from where the rock hit.

Miroku and Inuyasha come walking out of the foliage when they heard the noise; quickly I cover myself by crossing my arms against my chest.

“What’s all the ruckus?” Inuyasha asks.

Sango swiftly picks up two more rocks and throws them at the boys’ hitting both of them on the head. They stumble back, rubbing the newly put knots on the top of their heads, groaning in pain, before disappearing behind the foliage where they originally were.

Seething, but calming down, Sango gets up and walks to her clothes that she had hung from a branch of a tree and starts to dry off with the half dry towel.

I follow her actions by grabbing my dry towel from the ground, climbing out of the depths of the pond and drying myself also. I watch Sango as her eyes turn from angry to that of sadness. So many people are entrapped in Naraku’s web of destruction. Destroying lives. Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango. All were harmed in some way by Naraku’s mischievous plans.

-***-

“Time to go.” I call out to the boys who are getting ready. Sango and I stand next to each other, bathing in the sun that beams down from the opening of the canopies. I swing the yellow backpack up onto my shoulders and hold it tight to my back, pushing Midoriko’s sword sheath and handle flesh against my spine.

“Hey, somebody is coming.” Shippo points ahead of us. I follow his eyes and find a man, who’s badly injured come shambling our way. He falls before we can make it to us. We all look at one another and head to the fallen man. He’s bleeding profusely from wounds on his chest and back with blood pools having followed him from behind.

Miroku leans down by the man’s head and places a hand by his mouth, “he’s not breathing. He’s just a simple villager.”

“Many more have been killed around here, the air is filled with the thick smell of blood. The blood is fresh.” Inuyasha says.

I can’t smell what he does. My eyes linger on the man who’s passed away right before our eyes and wonder how he’s come to his demise. The damage done doesn’t look like a sword has caused them.

“Come on!” Inuyasha waves his hand in the direction where the man came from and starts to run ahead. We follow quickly behind.

After a few minutes we can see smoke rising to the sky from the tree tops. We pass through the tree line to see a desecrated village. Buildings are destroyed either by random damage or by fire, who’s smoke is what we saw moments before.

“A massacre!” Miroku says in shock.

I don’t think anyone is left alive. The buildings are unlivable and there are bodies all across the village land with random wounds covering their bloodied bodies.

“Let’s find out what happened. We’ll split up and search.” Miroku says.

“Hold it!” Sango says. She kneels down to the ground and with her right hand, feels the surface of the dirt.

There is a whooshing sound coming from our left, and when I look I see the ending of a boulder smash into a building that is still standing. The explosion of the collision forces the wind to blast at us, throwing my hair into my face, and my clothes to flutter. I stand my ground, holding myself up against the wind as my hair situates itself around my face.

“Don’t move an inch! Traps are set everywhere! One step and your leg might be blown off.”

“Oh no,” I mumble as I look down at the ground. Is that what happened? One of us set off a trap? I can’t see anything different one part of the ground to another.

“Beside all the dead bodies?” Miroku asks.

“Probably. If you try to help or bury the dead, you’ll get blown up too!”

“This heartless bastard doesn’t deserve to live! Let’s find him before he makes another move!”

“We have to be careful.” I inform.

But it doesn’t stop him. He starts to run, “Well, I’m not the kind of guy who’ll just stand still and take it!” He leaps in the air, taking out Tetsusaiga, and slashing at a building. Out from the building leaps a boy who’s wearing a similar garb to Sango’s demon slayer outfit. The boy twists in the air, thrusting a sickle head attached to a chain at Inuyasha.

Landing, Inuyasha blocks the attack with Tetsusaiga; the sickle flings up in the air, twists a bit, and then lands back in the boy’s hand.

“Is he the one?” Inuyasha questions.

“He couldn’t have killed all the villagers. He’s just a young boy!” Miroku exclaims.

“Look at the chain he’s got and the blood over his body. He’s covered in it! The kid’s gone insane! Why did you do this? What are you after?” Inuyasha barks.

The boy remains silent. Now that he’s still and standing I can see him better. He’s wearing the same smoke mask that Sango has, his medium length hair hangs in a middle ponytail. His dark brown eyes glower at us with a haze of soullessness I’ve grown accustomed too. There is a faint purple glow coming from the back center of his body. A sacred Jewel. Much like Sango when we first met her, there is a piece of the jewel embedded in his back.

“Kohaku?” Sango says more than asks.

I glance back at her and notice her eyes are wide with shock but a saddened frown on her lips. Kirara meows at her side.

“But how? It can’t be Kohaku…”

Kohaku? I remember Sango mentioning that name the night before, the name of her deceased brother.

The boy, Kohaku, turns on his heels and bolts down the trail.

“Get back here!” Inuyasha calls out and follows him, but the moment his foot collides with the ground a huge explosion goes off sending him back away from the trail. “Damn it!”

“Kirara!” Sango yells, and as she does Kirara comes running pass me, turning into her gigantic form with Sango leaping onto her back. They make way up into the air to avoid the explosions.

Inuyasha follows behind, his feet stealthy and agile, trying to avoid the hidden bombs but he stops at the forest edge, where a shimmer of blue flutters in a dome around a wide area of the forest. Sango is able to get through but when Inuyasha tries he’s pushed back.

Miroku and I glance at one another and then nod. We both tread carefully, putting our feet down softly on the ground as we make our way to the forest edge where Inuyasha stands investigating the surface of the dome. When we safely pass the danger zone we rush to his side.

“You both saw them enter the spirit shield and pass through!” Miroku says, placing a hand against the shield. The blue shivers and flutters.

“Sango called out her brother’s name before she flew off after him. She told me last night that her brother was killed in the castle occupied by Naraku.”

“Did you notice he had a sacred jewel shard imbedded in his back? We’re seen that one before.” Miroku states.

“Yeah, I did,” I frown.

“It’s Naraku’s same old trick. He forced Sango to fight against her will in the same manner.” Inuyasha says.

“So, Naraku is manipulating Kohaku.” I mutter.

“Sango probably knows what’s going on.” Miroku nods, “But why did the shield let her pass through?”

“I don’t know,” but I have a bad feeling about this.

-***-

We’ve been waiting for about an hour now. Leaning back, I rest my head against the tree I sit against and look up at the sky. It’s blue with very few white clouds with a gentle breeze that keeps it from being too hot. Out from the corner of my eyes I notice the blue dome slowly fades out of existence. When I look down the trail, I see Sango approaching with Kirara in her small form.

We all get up from the spots we were sitting in and meet her half way. She looks dazed, and not entirely here with us.

“Was that your brother?” I ask, gaining her attention.

Her face crunches into an angry expression, “that boy was not my brother!” She shouts in rage.

I frown once again and step back next to Inuyasha. Miroku keeps ahead of us, in front of Sango.

“Sango, this whole incident with the traps and barrier. Tell me, was it Naraku who was behind it all?” Miroku asks.

“Yeah.”

“You must be exhausted. Let’s return to the village and get some rest.” Miroku suggests.

“Wait, I beg you. Please perform a service to honor and commemorate the dead.” Sango requests.

-***-

I shake the bowl with the dirt inside, and wait for Miroku to shovel more into the bowl. We sit in a mass grave with no bodies inside, prepping it commemorate the dead before burying their bodies. We had to tread carefully when we returned to the village, having Shippo and Kirara seek out the bombs that kept us from pursuing Kohaku at first. Kirara has the nose for this sort of thing and Shippo wanted to be useful.

“What do you think about her meeting up with Naraku. What did Sango and Naraku end up talking about?” I ask. Miroku is sweaty, his long sleeves rolled up to help with the heat. He stops shoveling and looks down at me.

“He probably told Sango that he was manipulating her brother like a puppet. Let’s just leave her alone for a while until she’s ready to talk to us about it.” Miroku sighs, wiping his forehead with his forearm.

Inuyasha’s shadow shelters me from the setting sun. I get up and glance at him as he approaches us from another hole, a shovel leaning against his right shoulder.

“You can’t just let him off the hook.” Inuyasha says.

“So, what if he’s Naraku’s puppet with a jewel shard in his back? Kohaku’s responsible for slaughtering an entire town.” Miroku says.

“If Sango can’t kill him, then I’m gonna have to take him down. Hey, Sango! You got a problem with that?” He shouts over to her. She’s not too far from us, standing by the dead and having been praying for their safe passage. She turns her head to Inuyasha and glares coldly at him. She closes her eyes and looks away, walking off towards the house we’re staying in.

“That was mean.” I grumble.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do. Do we kill him?” Miroku asks, watching as Sango leaves.

“Of course!”

“No matter what?” Miroku glances up at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha removes the shovel from his shoulder and rams the end into the ground beside him. “Yeah! Think about it! Naraku sent Sango’s ‘zombie shard puppet; brother ‘cause he thought we’d be too sentimental and wimpy about it to kill him off. There’s no way I’ll fall for that!”

“I can see you’re really torn up about it,” Miroku’s eyes narrow and his face stiffens. He’s angry now.

“Shut up, Miroku! Get lost!”

Miroku closes his eyes and shakes his head, he climbs out of the hole, leaving Inuyasha and I alone, watching him as he walks to the fallen that lie on the ground with blankets covering them.


	3. Chapter 3: Sango's Betrayal

Chapter 3: Sango’s Betrayal

The cool air of the night shakes the reed frame hanging from the door way. In front of it sits Inuyasha, crossed legged with Tetsusaiga leaning against the front of his left shoulder. I lie in a bed of hay with Shippo sleeping next to me. My eyes are closed but I can’t sleep. Today’s ordeals are still on my mind, so instead, I listen to the soft sound of the fire crackling in the center of the room, and the subtle even breath coming from Miroku who sits across from me, sleeping with his legs and arms crossed against a barrel of hay. His staff, much like Inuyasha’s sword, leaning against his front left shoulder.

Sango isn’t asleep either, I can hear her sitting up on the reed matt she was previously lying on.

“Sango, what’s the matter,” Inuyasha asks.

I peek open one eye into a small slit and glance over to her. She sits at an angle to me, her eyes mixed with emotions I don’t quite understand. She looks confused or frustrated, or something between the two. Emotions I have yet to experience.

“Nothing’s wrong. I just couldn’t get to sleep.” She mutters.

“I know I have to kill him but I feel badly for you.” Inuyasha admits.

“I already explained it to you, Inuyasha, the little brother I knew could never slaughter an entire village. It would go against his entire soul. I will put an end to Naraku and the imposter!” she raises her voice, sparking me to open both eyes and look at her fully. She doesn’t notice me staring.

“How can it be that simple. If Kohako looks exactly the same, can you really forget everything and turn your heart against him that easily?” Inuyasha questions.

“Don’t underestimate me! I am a demon slayer! I won’t fall for Naraku’s tricks!”

“If I were in your position I probably couldn’t do it.” Inuyasha says.

Inuyasha was in a similar situation with Kikyo. The only difference was that neither of them were mind controlled by Naraku but deceived into believing eachother betrayed one another. Now she seeks vengeance on Inuyasha for something he didn’t do, and doesn’t believe otherwise that he didn’t do it. I want to look at Inuyasha; to watch his expression, but my heart tugs at all corners. I am unsure how to feel, but I know for sure, that thinking about Kikyo boils my blood, and I don’t know why.

“Best be on your guard we’re surrounded.” Miroku chimes in. He must have woken up from the sound of Sango’s raised voice also.

The sound of a loud roar rumbles the ground coming from the outside. In a rush, I sit up and look at the still reed sheet covering the door. The wind has stopped and there is no other sound other than the roar and the fire crackling. No bugs buzzing, no night birds chirping or wind blowing. Just silence. Inuyasha and Miroku are the first ones up and out of the hut, following them is Sango, and then I and Shippo.

Outside, we are surrounded by hordes of all sorts of demons. Reminding me of the other day at Mushin’s temple when we were attacked by Naraku’s summoned demons. Beyond the demons, through a crack in their body spaces, I see Kohaku and the sacred jewel shining from the mid-section of his back.

Miroku begins to unwrap the prayer beads from around his hand, his right fist clenched shut to prevent the cloth from opening and releasing the wind tunnel.

“Miroku! Don’t even think about it! Your wind tunnel hasn’t completely healed!” Shippo orders from beside me.

“But….” The monk pauses, looking over his clenched right fist. His face softens just a tad, “all right.” He twists the beads back over his hand diligently.

“Forget it, Miroku! Don’t risk your life here. All I gotta do is take out their ringleader and the rest of them are toast.” Inuyasha positions himself for battle, leaning forward with his right hand hovering over the handle of the Tetsusaiga.

The demons let out an earthshaking roar. Kohaku, who stands a good few feet behind the horde of demons, lifts up his right hand, pointing his pointer finger at us. Doing this orders the demons to attack, and they do, rushing at us so quickly that I don’t have time to react. But Inuyasha, with his half demon blood, does. He unsheathes his sword and swings one powerful slash at the horde, splitting some of the frontal wave apart like butter.

Kohaku takes the chain from his hip and swings it at his side until it picks up speed. He lets it loose, flying at Inuyasha’s Tetsusaiga and wraps around the blade. This stops further movement from Inuyasha and his sword. With Kohaku at the other end of the chain, he pulls the chain taut and then he leaps at Inuyasha with his scythe end of the chain, raising the weapon up and slamming it forward against the blocking sword.

Inuyasha shoves him back and cuts at the air, pushing Kohaku further away. The chain remains wrapped around Tetsusaiga, preventing him from using his stronger abilities.

“You’re gonna need dto fight better than that to take me out!” Inuyasha barks. He unwraps his blade from the chain, twisting the metal in his grip and using his powerful strength to slam the chain and Kohaku, at the other end, into the ground. Inuyasha leaps up, blade pointed down to Kohaku. He charges downwards towards the boy.

My heart races in my chest, frantically looking between the two before finally glancing at Sango. Her eyes are wide, full of terror and panic. This isn’t the right course.

“Inuyasha, don’t kill him!” I demand. Blood pounds in my ears, my right hand reaches for the two but I am so far away.

A growl comes out of Inuyasha, being forced to plunge Tetsusaiga into the ground right in front of Kohaku’s apathetic face. Inuyasha punches Kohaku square in the face, throwing his tiny body across the ground and onto his back; his scythe still tightly gripped in his right hand.

“Damn it! Why’d you cave in? It’s okay to kill him! He’s just another trap set by Naraku! I should kill him. I have to!” Inuyasha yells partially to himself.

“You’re right,” Kohaku says. He stumbles getting up off the ground and stands tall, lowering his head to block his apathetic eyes with his dark brown bangs. “I killed them all. Father, our friends. I slaughtered them one by one. That’s why I shouldn’t be allowed to live.” While saying this, he turns his scythe to himself, lifting it up in the air and lowering it to the middle of his spine where I see a faint glow of purple from the sacred shard. When the weapon collides with the shard, an explosion of reds and purples blast from his mid back where the shard fights to be pulled out.

“What are you doin?” Inuyasha takes a step towards Kohaku, raising his right hand to the boy, but he doesn’t go any further than this.

“He’s trying to take the shard out,” I announce; being the only one that can see the explosion of color and the battle between weapon and shard.

“Don’t do it!” Sango demands. Out from behind me, comes flying Sango’s boomerang, it passes me and heads for the Tetsusaiga. The weapon collides with the sword, flinging the blade out of the ground and up into the air. The sword transforms back into its weakened state and falls just a foot away from Sango.

From beside me, Miroku shouts, “What are you doing Sango?”

Kohaku retreats his scythe from his back and runs off with the demons following close to his side. He leaps and lands on one of the flying serpentine demon’s backs and flies off with the others.

With panic still in her eyes, Sango watches as Kohaku ascends up into the sky. Miroku, Inuyasha and I watch her, hesitant on what to do next. A determination twists on her face, something I haven’t seen from her since we’ve become a group. She snatches Tetsusaiga by the hilt and calls out for Kirara.

The fire cat demon leaps to her; transforming midair into her gigantic form with a powerful roar following. With Tetsusaiga still in her hold, she climbs onto Kirara’s back and flies off in the direction Kohaku took. Disappearing along with him just a little before the horizon.

My heart drops to my stomach. Why’d I tell Inuyasha to stop if Sango was just going to betray us? Sango – the woman I had been caring and tending too – taken off with Inuyasha’s sword, and for what? The villain who’s already tricked her once before? My fists clench at my sides, shaking with anger.

“We need to follow them,” I seethe through my teeth.

“But the boys’ do nothing but stand still, watching the horizon for some sort of event to happen. But nothing does. She doesn’t return.

“I can still smell his blood. Kohaku’s scent is still close by,” Inuyasha says.

“Naraku’s calling him, I bet.” Shippo adds.

*---*

We race through the forest with the wind beaten our faces. My grip on Inuyasha’s sides tighten when he picks up speed, but slow enough for Miroku to keep up. I should be used to riding on his back by now, but the feel of his tight muscles flexing as he runs against my body sends shivers through my back. My heart beats fast in my chest, but I no longer blush from this feeling.

“I can’t use my wind tunnel, and the Tetsusaiga was stolen!” Miroku announces loud enough to hear above the wind.

“Who cares? I’ll punch him out! I still have my fists!” Inuyasha exclaims.

After a couple more minutes of running, the forest breaks to reveal a massive castle. Up above, the clouds are an angry dark blue and purple. The feeling of evil takes over me and I shudder under its strength. A wall is fortified around the castle parameters, preventing us from just walking in.

“This must be where they are!” Inuyasha says.

We hear a scream coming from beyond the walls, and it’s familiar.

“Sango….” I mutter.

Part of me remains angry at her impulsive decision to steal the Tetsusaiga, but another part of me is trying to understand why. I don’t have siblings, or someone to love. I don’t even really have a family. So I don'’ know how it feels to want to protect someone.

Inuyasha grabs Miroku from the back of his robe, just above Shippo’s head and leaps us all over the wall. We land in a large dirt courtyard where Sango is lying bloodied on the ground before her brother who is kneeling in front of her.

His eyes look different than before – less apathetic and more saddened. Maybe he truly was controlled by Naraku and has finally broken free of his grasp?

I climb off Inuyasha’s back when he lowers to let me down, and rush over to Sango and Kohaku.

“He made her brother do this to her?” Miroku questions.

“Naraku, show yourself!” Inuyasha demands.

Kohaku killed his father and his fellow villagers, yet his sister says she cannot kill him. How can this be? I do not understand. She loves him more dearly than she loves her own life.” Naraku’s voice sounds like its echoes off from all the walls around us, not truly giving us the vantage point of where he is.

I scout between the two siblings and kneel in front of Sango, cradling her head onto my lap. Her face shows she’s in great pain, but there is relief behind the agony. She opens her eyes and stares over to her brother with the faintest of smiles.

“This is what happened to you fifty years ago! Naraku set you up against the one you love!” Miroku reminds Inuyasha.

“Naraku tried to make Sango fight her brother, hoping that she would kill him. If she would have done so, the jewel shard in his back would become more evil.” I look up at Inuyaha. My heart aches just thinking about his past with Kikyo. But it’s true. This is the very same thing. “This is the vbery same reason for you and Kikyo. But what Naraku doesn’t know, is that Sango would never do any harm to Kohaku. She will always love her little brother.”

A purple clouds begins to round us in a perfect circle, lifting high up into the air and sucking up rocks and dirt along with it. My hair slowly raises up, floating above my head as the wind picks up.

“Miasma!” Shippo cries. He leaps off of Miroku’s back and makes his way over to Kirara who lies unconscious on the ground nearby. He lifts her up and holds her close while back awqaqy from the wall of pursuing purple poison.

“Now you can all die in this sea of poison vapor!” Naraku’s voice echoes.

Sango struggles to sit up, leaving the safety of my arms and legs.

“You shouldn’t move, your badly hurt.” I say.

“Yeah! Stay right where you are. I’ve got a thing or two to chew you out for…. So don’t die on me!” Inuyasha orders.

Sango doesn’t listen. She unties the cloth around her waist and pulls out her face mask. She scoots her way to Kohaku and gently places the mask onto his face to guard him from the miasma. The jewel shard in his back glows brilliantly from the touch of her hand as she runs left hand down his spine. Then it clocks for me.

If I focus, I can find Naraku because of the shards he holds. I can stop this all now. Getting up I squint my eyes in search for a faint glow purple through the purple miasma. When I make it to the main building I can just barely make out the glowing orb surrounding the shards. It’s all I need. A target.

I clench my left fist at my side before raising it up and looking over it. Focus, focus. Closing my eyes, I fuel myself with the anger I felt before. The betrayal, the hurt, and now Naraku, the deceived. And as this fuels inside me I can feel the energy focus solely into my left arm and up to my palm. Opening my eyes, I aim my hand to the glowing orb and open my palm, releasing a beam of pinkish purple light.

The blast penetrates through the miasma, opening a gigantic hole and tears through the castle, passing a man residing inside, ripping off his right arm and passing through the rest of the castle. I don’t take a chance of him escaping. I focus again as quickly as possible, and release another beam of light, this one directed to his center. The beam again blasts through the miasma, and destroys Naraku’s chest and bottom half, leaving only his shoulders and his head floating in mid-air. How is he still alive?”

“Keara purged the miasma and hit Naraku!” I hear Miroku say behind me.

Two large purple tornados spiral at both sides of Naraku, pulling in everything around us, including us. I feel my feet sliding across the dirt ground but I am stopped when Inuyasha’s hand reaches and grabs my shoulder. He holds me still, his eyes on me as he calls out my name.

Behind me I see Miroku holding Shippo, who’s holding Kirara, swaying in the wind. And Sango, who still sits on the ground, watches as her brother’s body – now lying down – floats mid-air and flies towards Naraku.

“Kohaku!” She screams, getting up and trying to follow his disappearing body. But it’s too late. His body disappears right before our eyes along with the miasma, tornados and Naraku.

And like that – the purple, blue clouds fade away, leaving us standing amongst the courtyard with the sun rising over the horizon. As the light of the sun touches the walls and the castle, it begins to diminish until there is nothing left but forest surrounding us.

Sang falls to her knees, a small sob escaping her lips. I quickly make my way to her and sit beside her, just in time for her to fall back down into my lap.

“It was a phantom castle.” Shippo says.

“Look!” Miroku calls out. We all turn our heads following his direction of sight, except Sango, and stuck in the ground is Tetsusaiga, no more than a few feet away.

“Did Naraku escape?” Inuyasha asks, turning his attention to me.

I glance around the area the encircles us and find no signs of the sacred jewels anywhere in sight. I nod my head, “I don’t see any shards.”

Inuyasha walks over to Sango and I, and lands on his knees next to us. “Keara, your fighting is getting better.”

“Thanks,”I say, letting out a small sigh. But he still got away. “We have to destroy him.”

Sango slowly gets up from my lap, struggling as she grabs ahold of her boomerang for support, using it as leverage to get on her knees.

“I’m sorry. I can’t stay with you any longer.” Sango mumbles.

“Sango, we all understand Naraku was threatening you with the life of your brother if you didn’t give him the sword.” Miroku replies.

“Exactly! I’ll just betray you again, as long as Naraku still controls Kohaku!” She snaps, glaring back at Miroku.

This doesn’t faze the monk. “But Sango, what do you intend to do? Go after Naraku on your own?” He asks.

“I don’t have any other choice.”

“You’ll never succeed that way.” Miroku says.

I frown and scoot back to Sango’s side. “We need to tend to you.”

“Why are you still helping me?” Sango asks.

“Will ya stop whining, Sango? We want you to stick with us ‘cause you’re not a half bad fighter, and that’s all there is to it!” Inuyasha chimes in. Probably not for the best.

“You see? Even Inuyasha wants you to stay, and coming from a guy whose sword you stole so easily that’s really something!” Miroku nods.

“Don’t say that! It makes me sound like a stupid half-wit!” Inuyasha argues.

“I’m just saying you’re a very generous person!” Miroku smiles.

“Sango, don’t you like us anymore?” Shippo asks, beside us.

“Of course I do, but it’s all my fault that this happened and I might end up doing something like this to you again. But…” She pauses, a heavy sob rolling through her body. She lunges at me, wrapping her arms around my waist and cries into my chest. Her boomerang drops beside us with a heavy thump.

I gently run my fingers through her long brown hair. I can’t imagine how she feels. I can’t put any emotions in where it should be for this moment. All I know for sure, is that she’s suffering. Suffering more than I have ever in my lifetime.

“Don’t worry. You have us now.”


End file.
